Sansevere's HuddleBob Sansevere talks sports and life.2015-01-06T15:49:16Zhttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/feed/atom/WordPressBob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=15142015-01-06T15:49:16Z2015-01-06T15:49:16ZA couple of things … 1) The Timberwolves have lost 12 in a row. They stink. That said, they have a few built-in excuses. They are young. They have injuries to key players, such as Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic. They will get better as the young players, particularly Andrew Wiggins, mature and as the injured players work their way back into the lineup. It’s just tough to accept now, all this losing. On the plus side, they will wind up with one of the top picks in the NBA draft. There is no plus side for the […]

They have injuries to key players, such as Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic.

They will get better as the young players, particularly Andrew Wiggins, mature and as the injured players work their way back into the lineup.

It’s just tough to accept now, all this losing.

On the plus side, they will wind up with one of the top picks in the NBA draft.

There is no plus side for the Wild.

Big things were expected of them. With the addition of Thomas Vanek, they were supposed to contend for the Stanley Cup.

There was no expectation of glory for the Wolves, which makes the Wild an even bigger disappointment.

2) The announcement of baseball’s latest Hall of Fame inductees will be made Tuesday.

There has been talk that up to five players could make it in, matching the number of inductees the first year doors were opened to the Hall of Fame and Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson went in.

I think four inductees are more realistic this time: first-time eligible candidates Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, as well as Craig Biggio.

You can be sure of this: None will be unanimous. Nobody ever has been unanimous.

In that first year of voting, Ty Cobb collected the most votes: 222 of 226 cast. Amazingly, Ruth only received 215 votes, as did Wagner. Mathewson received 205 votes, Johnson 189.

To be inducted, 75 percent of votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America are needed.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=15122015-01-05T18:49:11Z2015-01-05T18:49:11ZItemizing a few things … Item: The Wild were crunched 7-1 by the Dallas Stars Saturday night and are 2-4-3 in their last nine games. I Think: Where’s the pride? Where’s the leadership? Where’s the goal tending? And who’s to blame? Players certainly haven’t done their job, but general manager Chuck Fletcher and coach Mike Yeo need to share blame, too. They rolled the dice by not upgrading their goal tending, and are paying a severe price now. It could cost Yeo his job, but unless the new coach has some sort of magic elixir to make the goal tenders […]

Item: The Wild were crunched 7-1 by the Dallas Stars Saturday night and are 2-4-3 in their last nine games.

I Think: Where’s the pride? Where’s the leadership? Where’s the goal tending? And who’s to blame? Players certainly haven’t done their job, but general manager Chuck Fletcher and coach Mike Yeo need to share blame, too. They rolled the dice by not upgrading their goal tending, and are paying a severe price now. It could cost Yeo his job, but unless the new coach has some sort of magic elixir to make the goal tenders better not much will change.

I Think: I usually scoff when people say officials cost a team a win. This time, I buy into it. The Lions were ripped off by officials. After the back judge correctly threw a flag for pass interference -- replays clearly show Dallas' Anthony Hitchens shoving Detroit's Brandon Pettigrew before the ball arrived -- the flag was picked up after the head linesman told the referee, Pete Morelli, he considered what Hitchens did face guarding, which is legal in the NFL. Morelli and the back judge should be fired.

Item: The Arizona Cardinals had 78 total yards in their loss to the Carolina Panthers, and that’s the fewest yards ever by a team in an NFL playoff game.

I Think: Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has been hailed much of the season as a strong Coach of the Year candidate. Sorry, don’t buy it any more. If Arians was such a kick-butt coach, he would have recognized in training camp that Ryan Lindley is not an NFL-caliber quarterback, and would have found somebody better the moment Carson Palmer was injured the first time. It’s one thing to have a third-string quarterback you’re developing but when that QB moves up to second string, you better be sure he can handle starting because he’s just an injury away.

Item: The day after the Gophers lost in the Citrus Bowl, tight end Maxx Williams announced he was entering the NFL draft and, within days of that, he was in California working out.

I Think: Williams was in California Sunday when we talked via text. He is immersing himself into getting ready for the NFL. This young man is doing it right and it will pay off at the next level.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=15072015-01-02T19:49:21Z2015-01-02T17:14:07ZThe highlight of the Gophers’ first New Year’s Day bowl game in more than half a century was Maxx Williams’ 54-yard catch-and-run and then some for a touchdown. Williams had a spectacular hurdle over one defender on his way to the end zone, and then leaped another defender to get into the end zone. That touchdown put the Gophers ahead 14-13 in the third quarter. It was as good as it would get. The Gophers are New Year’s Day worthy but their 33-17 loss to Missouri is a reminder they are not yet an elite team. And if they become […]

]]>The highlight of the Gophers’ first New Year’s Day bowl game in more than half a century was Maxx Williams’ 54-yard catch-and-run and then some for a touchdown.

Williams had a spectacular hurdle over one defender on his way to the end zone, and then leaped another defender to get into the end zone.

That touchdown put the Gophers ahead 14-13 in the third quarter.

It was as good as it would get.

The Gophers are New Year’s Day worthy but their 33-17 loss to Missouri is a reminder they are not yet an elite team.

And if they become one over the next couple of seasons, they will do it without Williams.

He is making another leap -- this one to the NFL. Williams announced Friday he was entering the NFL draft and skipping his final two seasons with the Gophers.

While he would hone his game if he stayed in college, Williams is talented enough to play at that next level.

The two most impressive catches in all of football this season were New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham’s leaping one-handed catch in the end zone and Williams diving, Inspector Gadget body-stretching sideline catch against Iowa.

Williams is a level-headed young man with NFL genetics. His father, Brian, had an 11-year career as a center with the Giants. Maxx goes 6-foot-4, 250 and any NFL scout who watched that catch against Iowa and then that catch against Missouri had to be thinking, “Gronk.”

Williams, like New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, has game-changing skills. And Williams, though two inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter, could, like Gronkowski, be a matchup nightmare for NFL defenses.

You can bet Patriots coach Bill Belichick would love to have both Gronkowski and Williams catching passes from Tom Brady.

Imagine the Vikings with Maxx Williams and a healthy Kyle Rudolph.

With a slew of short- and medium-range passes to those two, Teddy Bridgewater’s completion percentage would be north of 70 percent the entire season.

And there would be lots of yards after the catch and, with Williams, probably some leaps and hurdles on the way to the end zone.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=15042014-12-31T16:07:35Z2014-12-31T16:07:35ZThree and out … 1) Gov. Mark Dayton has an idea to increase attendance and tailgating opportunities at the Gophers’ football games, an idea he says he wants to turn into law. The governor is against 11 a.m. kickoffs and wants to legislate a later start, telling the Pioneer Press he’s “going to propose that we pass a law that no (Division I FBS) football game in Minnesota can start before noon.” He also said, “If you want to tailgate, you have to be there by 9 a.m. Most students I don't think are awake at 9 a.m.” Much like […]

1) Gov. Mark Dayton has an idea to increase attendance and tailgating opportunities at the Gophers’ football games, an idea he says he wants to turn into law.

The governor is against 11 a.m. kickoffs and wants to legislate a later start, telling the Pioneer Press he’s “going to propose that we pass a law that no (Division I FBS) football game in Minnesota can start before noon.”

He also said, “If you want to tailgate, you have to be there by 9 a.m. Most students I don't think are awake at 9 a.m.”

Much like he didn’t realize there would be personal seat licenses at the new Vikings’ stadium, the governor doesn’t realize people don’t care what time games start if the team is worth seeing.

If the Gophers become an elite team, the kind of team that is dominant in the Big Ten and in contention for the national title, people will tailgate at 9 a.m. and students will set their alarms and make it to TCF Bank Stadium for an 11 a.m. start.

Suh has won his appeal to the NFL and will be allowed to play for the Detroit Lions in their playoff game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. That’s great news for Suh and the Lions, bad news for anyone who thought Suh would learn some kind of lesson from being suspended for that game.

Suh has to pay a $70,000 fine, but he had a base salary of $12.55 million and bonuses of nearly $10 million this season. In other words, that $70,000 fine is less than .3 percent of his income from the Lions this season.

Put another way, if you’re making $50,000 a year, it’s like being fined $183.33.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=15022014-12-30T16:55:24Z2014-12-30T16:55:24ZItemizing a few things … Item: Minnesota native Marc Trestman is among the coaches fired on what has come to be known in the NFL as Black Monday. I Think: Trestman, who grew up in St. Louis Park, was fired after just two seasons with the Chicago Bears, who also dumped general manager Phil Emery. Trestman knows the Xs and Os of the game, but he is paying the price for two sub-par seasons and backing quarterback Jay Cutler when the decision was made to give him a monster contract after last season. Cutler always has been erratic. Week to […]

Item: Minnesota native Marc Trestman is among the coaches fired on what has come to be known in the NFL as Black Monday.

I Think: Trestman, who grew up in St. Louis Park, was fired after just two seasons with the Chicago Bears, who also dumped general manager Phil Emery. Trestman knows the Xs and Os of the game, but he is paying the price for two sub-par seasons and backing quarterback Jay Cutler when the decision was made to give him a monster contract after last season. Cutler always has been erratic. Week to week, he is capable of a terrific performance or a terrible one. He also is capable of costing a coach his job.

Item: Jim Harbaugh leaves the San Francisco 49ers to coach at Michigan, his alma mater.

I Think: The 49ers aren’t going to come up with a better head coach than Harbaugh. The ownership there should have done what was necessary to get along with Harbaugh and not shove him out the door.

I Think: It was blatant. It was inexcusable. It was stupid. It means Suh won’t play in the Lions’ wild-card game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Known for inappropriate behavior, Suh’s latest misstep is worse than any others in his past because his absence damages the NFL’s best run defense as it prepares to face the league’s most productive runner, DeMarco Murray.

Item: The Gophers are in Orlando, preparing for their New Year’s Day game against Missouri in the Citrus Bowl.

I Think: As long as they don’t get blown out, the Gophers’ recruiting efforts will benefit from playing in a nationally televised game on Jan. 1.

Item: Hall of Fame safety Paul Krause, who holds the NFL record for interceptions with 81, says he is not one of those record holders who believe records are made to be broken. He would like to keep his record. "I like my record," Krause told Sports Radio 105 the Ticket. "I’ve done something nobody’s ever done before and I’m proud of it."

I Think: I'd feel the same way. If I held a record, I wouldn't want it to be broken, either.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=14972014-12-29T17:25:37Z2014-12-29T17:25:37ZI sent in my ballot for baseball's Hall of Fame last week. Just like last year, I voted for the maximum 10 candidates. And just like last year, and the year before, there are performance-enhanced drug guys on my ballot. The 10 who got my vote are, in alphabetical order, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds (in photo below), Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, John Smoltz and Sammy Sosa. If you're wondering why I included PED guys, there's a simple and logical explanation. The same one I gave in a column two years ago, and […]

If you're wondering why I included PED guys, there's a simple and logical explanation. The same one I gave in a column two years ago, and again last year. Here is an excerpt from that column:

Former commissioner Bart Giamatti banished Pete Rose from baseball for gambling and Rose became ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Eight members of the infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, have been ineligible for the Hall of Fame for decades for cheating in the World Series. And yet every ballplayer attached to PEDs remains eligible. Baseball has left it up to Baseball Writers’ Association of America members with 10 years of service and a Hall of Fame vote to decide; I fit that description. It may be viewed as a weak rationalization by some, but Hall of Fame eligibility is what I used to put these names on my ballot.

I will continue to vote for Hall of Fame-worthy ballplayers as long as they continue to be eligible for the Hall of Fame.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=14952014-12-26T18:40:27Z2014-12-26T18:40:27ZMike Zimmer's first season as the Vikings' coach ends Sunday. It has been an interesting, intriguing and enlightening season. Interesting: Zimmer came with a reputation as a defensive wiz. The first-round selection of Anthony Barr, along with the free-agent signings of Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn, were strong indicators he planned to retool the Vikings' defense. The trade up to draft Teddy Bridgewater was another indicator; Zimmer was looking to a future that did not include Christian Ponder, a future that would be built around a young quarterback who had a terrific college career but failed to wow NFL personnel […]

]]>Mike Zimmer's first season as the Vikings' coach ends Sunday. It has been an interesting, intriguing and enlightening season.

Interesting: Zimmer came with a reputation as a defensive wiz. The first-round selection of Anthony Barr, along with the free-agent signings of Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn, were strong indicators he planned to retool the Vikings' defense. The trade up to draft Teddy Bridgewater was another indicator; Zimmer was looking to a future that did not include Christian Ponder, a future that would be built around a young quarterback who had a terrific college career but failed to wow NFL personnel men at his Pro Day. That disappointing workout caused Bridgewater's draft stock to slide, enabling the Vikings to select him.

Intriguing: Two days before the second game, Adrian Peterson was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges related to child abuse. After announcing Peterson would play in the third game, a public and corporate outcry persuaded the Vikings to come to their senses and sideline their superstar running back due to his unacceptable parenting techniques. Without Peterson, the Vikings would have to depend more heavily on the retooled defense and, initially, an offense quarterbacked by Matt Cassel.

Enlightening: While Peterson is one of the best running back to the league, if not the best, the Vikings learned what life is like without him. They also learned what life is like with Bridgewater at quarterback. An injury shortly after Peterson was sidelined ended Cassel's season and began Bridgewater's NFL career. Since then, it has become evident this is Bridgewater's team now, and will be even if Peterson returns. Whatever happens in Sunday's season windup against the Chicago Bears, there is a lot of work to be done in the offseason. But for the first time since the brief Brett Favre Era, there is no work to be done finding a quarterback.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=14872014-12-24T15:56:17Z2014-12-24T15:54:46ZThis will be short and not-so-sweet … Talked to Carl Eller the other day. The Hall of Famer from the Vikings’ Purple People Eater days was perturbed about how the Vikings played in their 37-35 loss Sunday to the Miami Dolphins. Eller echoed some of Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s harsh sentiments about how poorly the defense played. Eller also was disappointed – and that’s putting it kindly – with the unsportsmanlike penalties against defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and linebacker Gerald Hodges. “That would not have happened on the teams that I played on,” Eller told Sports Radio 105 the Ticket. […]

Talked to Carl Eller the other day. The Hall of Famer from the Vikings’ Purple People Eater days was perturbed about how the Vikings played in their 37-35 loss Sunday to the Miami Dolphins.

Eller echoed some of Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s harsh sentiments about how poorly the defense played.

Eller also was disappointed – and that’s putting it kindly – with the unsportsmanlike penalties against defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and linebacker Gerald Hodges.

“That would not have happened on the teams that I played on,” Eller told Sports Radio 105 the Ticket.

The Purple People Eaters were more inclined to administer a beat down on an opponent during a play, and not try to do it between plays, as Floyd and Hodges did.

That Purple People Eater bunch also was known for crunching teams once they got a lead, not squandering leads, as the Vikings did in back-to-back games during which they went ahead 14-0.

“They’re certainly not a young team,” Eller said, primarily referring to the Vikings’ defense. “They have a whole season under their belt at this point. They should have some incentive. They did not play with any pride. They were very disappointing.”

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=14832014-12-23T16:43:44Z2014-12-23T16:42:48ZThree and out … 1) Vikings coach Mike Zimmer offered a stern rebuke of his defense’s performance in its loss to the Miami Dolphins, saying, “That was the worst we’ve played all year, maybe one of the worst defensive performances I’ve seen in a long time.” It was wretched. The Vikings allowed drives of 64, 80 and 80 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Meantime, addressing the defense’s 11 penalties, Zimmer grumbled about “selfishness.” Only he can do something about it. Bench the players responsible, starting with Shariff Floyd and Gerald Hodges, who had inexcusable unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Zimmer needs […]

1) Vikings coach Mike Zimmer offered a stern rebuke of his defense’s performance in its loss to the Miami Dolphins, saying, “That was the worst we’ve played all year, maybe one of the worst defensive performances I’ve seen in a long time.”

It was wretched. The Vikings allowed drives of 64, 80 and 80 yards in the fourth quarter alone.

]]>0Bob Sanseverehttp://blogs.twincities.com/sansevereshuddle/?p=14772014-12-22T17:26:20Z2014-12-22T17:24:26ZJerry Burns hated the term, “killer instinct.” I know he hated it because, every time I asked him about it back when he was coaching the Vikings, he got the same twisted-face look little kids get when they bite into something sour. When Burns coached the Vikings, they had talent. They also had trouble putting teams away. They lacked that killer instinct you see in the wild when one species senses a vulnerability, pounces on another and destroys it. It wasn’t like that during Burns’ entire tenure as coach where they didn't pounce, didn't destroy. But it happened often enough […]

I know he hated it because, every time I asked him about it back when he was coaching the Vikings, he got the same twisted-face look little kids get when they bite into something sour.

When Burns coached the Vikings, they had talent. They also had trouble putting teams away.

They lacked that killer instinct you see in the wild when one species senses a vulnerability, pounces on another and destroys it.

It wasn’t like that during Burns’ entire tenure as coach where they didn't pounce, didn't destroy. But it happened often enough that, to this day, Burns has a disdain for those two words, “killer” and “instinct.”

This year’s Vikings remind me of those Jerry Burns teams.

This year’s Vikings have a difficult time putting teams away.

They lack, well, you know.

For the second week in a row, the Vikings blew a 14-0 lead. And in a 21-13 loss to the Chicago Bears in November, they blew a 10-0 lead.

That's three games over the past six games they have blown double-digit leads.

There is no excuse for it, other than this: They lack maturity.

They haven't yet figured out how to stomp a team once they've built a healthy lead. That comes with maturity. (The Vikings also lack the maturity necessary to avoid unsportsmanlike conduct penalties; Sharrif Floyd and Gerald Hodges both were flagged for nitwit behavior.)

The Vikings blew the two-touchdown lead over the Miami Dolphins, fell behind by eight points, then tied it up, then took the lead back.